Dune (2021), or as it is called on the film's title card, Dune: Part One, is as epic as the word can get. Director Denis Villeneuve, whose previous directorial efforts include the incredible Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and the mind-blowing Arrival (2016), has done the impossible: successfully adapt an iconic science fiction novel that at one point was deemed "unfilmable", as evidenced by directors who had tried and failed like the Chilean-French filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky.
For context: from 1975 to 1980, Jodorowsky had famously planned on directing a fourteen-hour epic with his son Brontis starring as Paul Atreides, Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí cast as Emperor Shaddam IV, and Orson Welles as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, with rock band Pink Floyd, set to compose the original score. The project eventually collapsed due to no studio being willing to fund the ambitious project. However, that production left its mark on filmmakers, as evidenced by the 2013 documentary Jodorowsky's Dune, in which the aborted production's extensive storyboard and concept art sketches allegedly inspired the visual aesthetics for future science fiction flicks like Star Wars (1977), Alien (1979), Flash Gordon (1980), and The Terminator (1984).
I have to admit that as someone who has never read Frank Herbert's 1965 novel of the same name, I went into Dune as someone curious about the source material and its cult following. Before seeing Villeneuve's adaptation, I had watched David Lynch's 1984 film adaptation and was underwhelmed by it. Namely, that film's inconsistent quality in its visual effects, the under-written characters, overuse of narration and voice-overs to deliver exposition, and an overall rushed pace that felt more like a speed-read through a CliffsNotes version of the novel. That said, I liked Toto's musical score for that film quite a bit. With all that out of the way, here is my spoiler-filled review of Denis Villeneuve's Dune.
The basic storyline of Dune follows Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet), son of Duke Leto of House Atreides (played by Oscar Isaac), the ruler of the ocean planet Caladan, and Lady Jessica (played by Rebecca Ferguson), a member of the Bene Gesserit (an all-female group who holds immense social, political, and religious influence as well as physical and mental powers over others), as he is trained physically by Leto's aids, Duncan Idaho (played by Jason Momoa), Gurney Halleck (played by Josh Brolin), and Thufir Hawat (played by Stephen McKinley Henderson), and mentally trained by Jessica in Bene Gesserit disciplines to be the Kwisatz Haderach, the Bene Gesserit's messiah figure. When Duke Leto is assigned by the yet-to-be-revealed Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV to replace rival House Harkonnen's Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (played by Stellan Skarsgård) as the fief ruler of the desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune, he accepts the assignment on seeing the political and diplomatic advantages of both controlling the planet's valuable "spice" that not only enhances humans' powers but powers interstellar travel, and to ally with the Fremen, Arrakis' native population of fighters. However, after House Atreides' security is compromised by Harkonnen and the Emperor's Sardaukar troops, and Duke Leto is captured and sacrifices himself, Paul and Jessica find themselves on the run from their enemies and making alliances with the Fremen while having brushes with death with monstrous sandstorms and a giant sandworm or two.
First, the all-star cast is incredible, with the standouts being Chalamet, Ferguson, Isaac, and Momoa. Chalamet gives Paul a youthful vulnerability and initial reluctance to be the Bene Gesserit's messiah figure but gradually accepts his fate through experiencing personal losses and the growing pains of a hero's journey. Ferguson's portrayal of a mother emotionally torn between following the Bene Gesserit and lovingly raising her son against the Bene Gesserit's wishes is the most compelling aspect of this movie. Isaac delivers yet again as an emotionally subdued yet loving father who unconditionally supports his son regardless of whether Paul accepts his fate as the face of House Atreides or not. Momoa's performance as Duncan feels the closest to the actor's real-life persona; a charismatic and funny but loyal and good-hearted friend who is also great in the movie's fight scenes. Zendaya's character of Chani isn't in the film a lot in terms of screentime, but her grounded presence is felt throughout the film, which illustrates how strong an actress she is. All the characters' characterizations are very well-rounded, complete with complex emotions and backstories. However, they are simply no comparison to the 1984 adaptation's characters, who were all paper-thin in terms of personality.
On a technical level, the movie's visual effects that bring the worlds of Caladan and Arrakis to life are stellar, and the blending between the in-camera practical effects and state-of-the-art CGI effects is seamless. I haven't seen this level of excellence in visual wizardry since The Lord of the Rings trilogy. There were several instances where I asked myself whether what I was seeing was an in-camera effect or a CG creation. From the rugged dragonfly-like ornithopters to the iconic sandworms, which are not only gigantic but surprisingly full of life. The sandworms' mouths specifically look like and are as expressive as human eyes, which should provide plenty of storytelling potential in a later film. They are also much better-designed than those in the 1984 adaptation, which looked like recycled puppets from The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Hans Zimmer's grandiose score has a unique sound that manages to sound grounded in reality on a human level and otherworldly in terms of scope. The only downside to Zimmer's score (a minor one, that is) is that there is no individual track from the soundtrack that I can see myself downloading. Nevertheless, it is still a riveting score. Regarding possible Oscar nominations, I see this film getting nominated for Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Sound, Best Original Score, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
If I have any gripes with this movie, it's that this movie feels incomplete. That is due to this movie being the first half to three-quarters of the first novel in Herbert's Dune series, which spans six books. Whether Villeneuve will be able to complete the entire saga is debatable. However, the fact that a sequel to one of Villeneuve's more ambitious works will receive a sequel is undoubtedly a win. Also, some of the dialogue can get drowned out by the sound mixing, which is often very busy in specific sequences. Nevertheless, these negatives are outweighed mainly by this film's positives, of which there are plenty.
In terms of big-screen adaptations of literary works, Dune: Part One is one of the best and the most impressive. Not only did Villeneuve succeed in revoking the novel's "unfilmable" status by adapting and containing an ambitious-sized saga to two-to-three movies that don't sacrifice the novel's deeper themes and plotlines while standing firm on their own merits. Like everyone, I am looking forward to seeing Part Two because, as Chani says at the end of this film, "This is only the beginning." I am also hoping that this movie won't be the last in terms of filmmakers creating successful screen adaptations of previously "unfilmable" properties. I would like to see one of the major studios take another crack at previously adapted works like Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes or shed light on new ones like Neil Gaiman's unique Neverwhere. Hypothetically, the path has already been paved with a worthy template in Dune: Part One. Will the studios take notice? Not likely. However, one can still dream about the possibilities that stretch out far beyond the dunes of time and space (so to speak).
Final Score: 9 out of 10
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